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Sports games have been a part of the video game landscape since the industry began. Year after year sports games are consistently among the top-selling games and are especially popular among older players. With this in mind, we give you a collection of the best sports video games to ever be released. Many argue that 3D sports games will never supplant their 2D counterparts in the gameplay department, and for these constituents, we've included several classics from the 8- and 16-bit glory days.
John Madden Football '93 - Sega Genesis (1992)
Street Price: $0.75
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EA Sports has been releasing Madden games for almost a decade now, but many argue that the 1993 iteration has yet to be topped. At the very least, it's certainly the best 2D football game ever made. While there are no real NFL teams in the game, there's an extremely large playbook and the ability to run the no-huddle offense, and the quarterback may stop the clock by spiking the ball. There are five different gameplay modes to explore, including preseason, regular season, playoffs, sudden death, and a tournament mode featuring some of the greatest teams of all time.
Tecmo Super Bowl - NES (1991)
Street Price: $4.99
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Over the years, Tecmo Super Bowl has been heralded as the most fun to be had playing a football game. This is the result of a simple play selection interface with just eight plays to choose from. While this might seem a bit limited, the system is made fun because it's the defensive player's job to guess which play you're calling. The closer your opposition gets to calling your play, the better chance he or she has of stopping you in your tracks. It's a simple interface, to be sure, but it's also what makes playing Tecmo Super Bowl so incredibly addictive.
NHL 94 - Sega Genesis (1993)
Street Price: $0.75
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NHL 94 struck such a chord with players that it has become a pop icon and has been featured in several movies. While it doesn't include fighting like NHL 93, the gameplay is refined to the point where every offensive action has a defensive reaction to counteract it. The more you play NHL 94, the better you get, and there's really no limit to how much your skills can improve. When you factor in a deep season mode and records for up to seven users, NHL 94 is a classic that should be in any sports game fan's collection.
Double Dribble - NES (1987)
Street Price: $3.50
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Like Tecmo Super Bowl, Double Dribble is sweet simplicity defined. There are only four teams to choose from including Boston, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and it includes no real NBA players. And if it's realism you're looking for, Double Dribble is the wrong game. This b-ball classic is all about gameplay, and it delivers. Gameplay modes consist of playoff, exhibition, and multiplay. Double Dribble was one of the first 2D basketball games to feature multiple dunks. If you've found yourself uninterested in 3D basketball, Double Dribble is about as good as it gets in two dimensions.
NFL GameDay - Sony PlayStation (1996)
Street Price: $2.25
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NFL GameDay was the first polygonal football game to hit the market and was also the first pigskin game to challenge Madden's title as the best football game available. Subsequent iterations deteriorated until Madden was the clear-cut winner once again, but the original GameDay had addictive gameplay that kept players coming back for more. With four gameplay modes, 1500 real NFL players, variable weather, tight control, and deep franchise options, NFL GameDay is just as much fun to play now as it was when it was initially released.
NBA 2K1 - Sega Dreamcast (2000)
Street Price: $17.97
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NBA 2K was a promising start for Sega's basketball franchise, but NBA 2K1 refined the formula and added a healthy number of new gameplay modes to the mix. You can challenge the improved computer AI on some of the most famous street courts in the US, manage your team in the franchise mode, or jump online to play many of the game's modes against other Dreamcast players around the country. NBA 2K was good, but NBA 2K1 is the best hoops game on next-generation consoles.
Madden NFL 2002 - Sony PlayStation 2 (2001)
Street Price: $44.99
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Madden 2002 is fundamentally the same game as last year's title, but there are a handful of compelling new features and graphical upgrades. When you compare what both games offer as far as the experience of being out on the field, the core technical differences between them are nominal. Still, what Madden 2002 has to offer is rock solid and will not disappoint fans of the series. Many consider it the best 3D football game available today.
NHL 2002 - Sony PlayStation 2 (2001)
Street Price: $44.99
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NHL 2002 is the deepest, most realistic 3D NHL game on the market. Its graphics are impressive, its depth of gameplay modes is staggering, and the gameplay is predominantly tight. In spite of quirky goalie AI and some default settings that must be adjusted, it will be difficult to find a more realistic game of hockey on any system for next year. If you're a PlayStation 2-owning hockey fan, NHL 2002 is a must-buy. Fans of sports video games in general would also do well to give it a strong look.
NBA Street - Sony PlayStation 2 (2001)
Street Price: $41.00
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Delivering a very NBA Jam-like game of street basketball that features enough well-designed differences to breathe life into Midway's stock formula, NBA Street is one of the better PlayStation 2 sports games available. Outside of the shot clock violation, there are no fouls, and there are no quarters or other time limits. The game keeps track of game-breaking trick points, which are accumulated on defense by stealing balls and blocking shots and on offense by faking out defenders and scoring on various dunks and other shots.
NFL 2K2 - Sega Dreamcast (2001)
Street Price: $33.66
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Fans of the NFL 2K series will undoubtedly find that it's hard not to like NFL 2K2. The online options have been improved, the running game has been revamped, money plays have been removed, and the graphics have received a slight boost. Many would argue that NFL 2K2 is even better than Madden NFL 2002 for the PlayStation 2. If you're looking to get back online and challenge people from all over the country or just your friends sitting across the room, NFL 2K2 is the best football game on the Dreamcast and a solid choice overall.
Be sure to visit GameBuyer for the best deals on video games anywhere.
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